Submission to the Education and Workforce Committee

We welcomed the opportunity to submit on the Modern Slavery Bill (2026) (the Bill). We strongly support the goals of the Bill and recognise that modern slavery is a global crime that demands a serious legislative response.

We write, however, with the benefit of direct experience under Australia's Modern Slavery Act 2018 (Cth), which has now been in operation for several years. That experience has revealed significant practical challenges that, if left unaddressed in the Bill, risk producing compliance costs that are disproportionate to the Act's beneficial outcomes.

Our submission focuses on three interconnected issues: the need for alignment between the New Zealand and Australian regimes (and with international frameworks more broadly), the importance of synchronising reporting timelines, and the imperative of establishing clear, standardised guidance from the outset to avoid the grey tape burden that has emerged in Australia.